Almond Meal Chicken Tenders

These almond meal chicken tenders are dipped in an egg wash and then rolled in seasoned almond meal (or almond flour) for an awesome crispy outside and juicy inside. It’s basically healthy fried chicken. I got this recipe from my sister (more on that later) and love it!

I typically buy almond meal in the bulk bins at my local health food store, but you can buy it in the health food section of lots of grocery stores. I love using almond meal because it’s a really healthy substitute for traditional breadcrumbs and is a great source of healthy fat + protein, too.

To make these:First, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pound each chicken breast to an even thickness with a meat mallet or even a heavy skillet. Cut each piece into 3-4 strips.

Set up an assembly line with the chicken, one beaten egg in a small bowl, and almond meal (with spices added) on a plate. Dip chicken tender in the egg, and then roll in the almond meal. Place chicken tender on the baking sheet and repeat with all of the pieces.

Then, bake for 10 minutes, flip each piece, and bake for 10 more minutes. That’s it!

You can serve these almond meal chicken tenders with ketchup or honey mustard for dipping. And every “fried” chicken dinner needs some sides, right? These would be so good with homemade mac ‘n’ cheese, garlic green beans, roasted Brussels sprouts…yum.

Or if I’m short on time/not in the mood to wash pots and pans, I really love using high-quality frozen sides. For this meal, I heated up 1) Alexia cauliflower risotto with parmesan and sea salt and 2) Alexia mashed butternut squash with butter & brown sugar. They’re designed as starch alternatives for a lighter option, and they’re both amazing, but the cauliflower risotto was extra incredible and so creamy!

I love that Alexia complete side dishes have really simple ingredient lists with things I’d use myself, including organic dairy and premium vegetables. All of their sides are non-GMO project verified and gluten-free. They don’t require any additional ingredients to prep (other than a splash of water), they cook right out of the bag, and they’re ready in less than 10 minutes.

In a perfect world, I’d love to make everything homemade all of the time. But as a busy college girl (with also a less-than-ideal dorm kitchen situation), frozen premium side dishes are a great option to go along with a simple protein like these almond meal chicken tenders!And for the story behind the recipe (if you’re like me and you care about this sort of thing!): A few weekends ago, I visited my sister and brother-in-law in Baltimore and stayed with them for just a short 24 hour visit.

When I got there, they cooked a super delicious dinner– these almond meal chicken tenders, with sautéed spiralized zucchini noodles on the side. And then we curled up on the couch with warm brownies and ice cream to watch our favorite episodes of The Office (fire drill episode, anyone?).

My brother-in-law headed into work the next day, but my sister took the day off, so we enjoyed a slow morning together. We snacked on energy bites, ran to the gym, and worked out together. We stopped by Whole Foods and went clothes shopping and didn’t do anything super out of the ordinary (it was a super rainy Monday and we weren’t feeling any of the tourist activities in Baltimore), but it had us dreaming about one day living in the same city and getting to do more everyday life things together 🙂 We had tons of time to talk and eat good food and laugh and it was good for my soul.I had to leave that night, and I was that overly emotional girl trying to keep it together through airport security. My sister is my best friend and it’s SO hard to say goodbye, but I know I’ll at least get to see her at Christmas!

So, this post was inspired by my trip to Baltimore. I love the recipe partially because I have great memories associated with it…but I promise it’s really, really delicious, too! 😉

If you try these almond meal chicken tenders, feel free to let me know in a comment or take a picture and tag me @livbane on Instagram. Hope you enjoy!

I was blessed to get to sample this meal. The 2 sides were really good! I really liked the cauliflower risotto! For health reasons, I have not been eating grains. I really appreciate that not only did the risotto taste good, it is a great, healthier alternative to the rice or pasta I have served with meals in the past. I enjoyed the squash too! 🙂

This is interesting as I have never thought about using almond meal as a substitute for bread crumbs. In fact, I love this alternative and can’t wait to try it during my next fried chicken tenders. Thank you for sharing.

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Welcome!

Hi there, I’m Liv! I started blogging during my first year of college at UNC-Chapel Hill to share recipes easy enough for a dorm kitchen. Thankfully, I’m no longer cooking in a dorm, but my goal is still to share simple, delicious recipes that don’t take too much of your time. Most often, you can find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. Read more…